While the backs are the focus, the program’s have played thrilling games through the years. The last three games at Hancock Stadium have been decided by a touchdown or less. In 2005, YSU came from behind to win 20-17 at Stambaugh.

Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
• A win gives the Penguins their first over a ranked team on the road since beating Montana in the 1999 playoffs. Since that time, the Guins have dropped 10 straight to ranked teams away from home.
• A win would clinch a .500-or-better finish in the Gateway and mark the seventh time in 10 seasons the Guins have won at least four GFC games in a year.
• The winner of Saturday’s game grabs the overall lead (8-7) in the series.
• In their 10th year of Gateway action, the Penguins are 37-26.
• The Penguins had two streaks snapped in the loss to UNI. YSU had won 11 straight home games and had won 13 consecutive when a back went over 100 yards.
• TB Marcus Mason has rushed for 1,963 yards in his YSU career. Mason also has 23 rushing scores in 16 career games. He has six 100-yard rushing contests in 2006 and 10 in his career.
• Wide receiver T.J. Peterson has caught a pass in 19 straight games. He had two receptions for 30 yards against UNI.
• Peterson and Louis Irizarry have caught passes in every game this year.
• Placekicker Brian Palmer has made 9-of-10 field goals from 33 yards or less in his career. He has made 10 of his last 13 attempts dating back to last year.
• The Penguins are 6-0 when scoring at least 30 points this year and are 0-2 when they do not reach the 30-point plateau.
• Saturday’s crowd of 19,321 was the eighth largest in school history and most since the 2001 season.
• Mason reached the 1,000-yard mark in his seventh game marking the quickest 1,000-yard season in school history.

Illinois State Breakdown
    Illinois State has won six straight games since dropping its season opener and is off to a 3-0 start to Gateway play for the first time since going 6-0 in 1999.
    The Redbirds have been winning with a balance of offense and defense. On offense, running back Pierre Rembert is averaging 148.9 yards per game while quarterback Luke Drone leads the Gateway averaging 227.3 yards passing a game.
    On defense, ISU has the top two tacklers in the Gateway in linebackers Kye Stewart (12.8) and Cameron Siskowic (11.9).

Series Information
    The Youngstown State-Illinois State series has been a tight one throughout the years. Both schools have won seven times, eight of the games have been decided by a touchdown or less - each team has won four of those - and Illinois State has scored one more touchdown holding a 331-324 edge in scoring. The home teams even own 4-3 advantages in the series.

Series Information
    The Youngstown State-Illinois State series has been a tight one throughout the years. Both schools have won seven times, eight of the games have been decided by a touchdown or less - each team has won four of those - and Illinois State has scored one more touchdown holding a 331-324 edge in scoring. The home teams even own 4-3 advantages in the series.

UNI Game Had 1997 Feel
    The Penguins’ demons against UNI reared their ugly heads again on Saturday. YSU committed a season-high five turnovers and still had a chance to tie the game late. Saturday’s game was just one in a long line of head scratchers like that against the Panthers. The contest resembled the 1997 tilt at the UNI Dome, in which the Guins lost 35-32. YSU trailed 32-7 before mounting a late comeback bid only to lose by three.
    In 1997, the Guins surrendered an 80-yard touchdown pass and committed four turnovers while UNI had none. Following the loss YSU rebounded to beat Illinois State and Southern Illinois the next two weeks.

Rush For 100, Can Mean A ‘W’
    The Penguins had a streak of 13 consecutive wins when a back rushes for more than 100 yards snapped in the loss to Northern Iowa on Saturday. Marcus Mason had 172 yards against the Panthers, but YSU could not earn the victory. YSU won its first five games of the year when at least one back went over the 100-yard mark. YSU was 6-0 in 2005 and won its last two in ‘04 to get the streak rolling.

Zetts Has Highs and Lows
    Quarterback Tom Zetts threw for a season high 208 yards and had a season-best 17 completions against UNI. However, Zetts became the first quarterback since 1991 to throw four interceptions in a game when Ray Isaac did it against Akron.
    Zetts had the 10th 200-yard performance of his career against UNI. That mark ties him for second in school history with Mark Brungard and Trenton Lykes. Ron Jaworski had a school-record 12 200-yard games in his career.

Peterson Continues Catch Streak
    Senior wide receiver T.J. Peterson has caught at least one pass in 19 straight games. Peterson extended his streak against UNI with two catches for 30 yards. Through eight games, he has 21 catches for 362 yards and four touchdowns. He had 24 catches for 432 yards and two touchdowns for his career entering 2006.

Offense Scoring Some Points
    The Penguins have scored 30 points in six games this year. The school record for 30-point games in a regular season is eight set back in 2001. YSU did it seven times in 1997 and six in 2005, 1990 and 1989. This group has already tied the school mark for 50-point games in a season with two.

Perry Scores Three Touchdowns
    Senior cornerback Jason Perry is the first player in school history to return a punt and an interception for a touchdown in the same season.
    Perry returned a punt 64 yards for a score against Indiana State. The two previous games he returned interceptions for touchdowns -- 78 yards versus UC Davis and 40 yards at Missouri State.
    The last time YSU had two interception returns for touchdowns in the same year was 2003. The school mark is three set in 1991. YSU also returned two picks for scores in 1997, 1994 and 1977.
    Besides Perry, Larry Toles is the only individual in school history to return two interceptions for scores in a career.

Mason Handling the Load
    Senior tailback Marcus Mason has rushed for 1,071 yards on 165 carries while scoring 15 touchdowns. Mason has gone over the 100-yard mark in six of his seven games (107 vs. Maine, 101 vs. Slippery Rock, 130 at Missouri State, 197 vs. Indiana State, 265 at Western Illinois and 172 vs. UNI). He did not play at Penn State and finished with 99 yards against UC Davis.

Zetts, Bishop Among Best
    Quarterback Tom Zetts and punter Joe Bishop both rank highly at YSU in various career categories.
    Zetts ranks first in percentage (59.7), tied for second in 200-yard games (10), fourth in touchdown passes (39), fourth in completions (404) and fourth in yards (4,873). He is one touchdown shy of tying Trenton Lykes and Keith Snoddy for second place.
    Bishop is second in career punts with 206 and yards (7,959). Standout Nick Xides owns both school records (257) and (10.514).

Jackson on Buchanan List
    Senior cornerback Codera Jackson is one of 16 Division I-AA players on the Buck Buchanan Watch List for the nation’s top defensive player. In eight games Jackson has 40 tackles, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups and two interceptions.

Heacock’s Have Hand in Programs
    YSU Coach Jon Heacock is 38-26 in his sixth year as the Penguins’ head coach. His brother Jim, who is currently the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Ohio State, was the head coach at Illinois State from 1988 through 1995. Jim posted a 37-49-2 record during his tenure. Of the 13 YSU-ISU games from 1992 through 2005, a Heacock has been the head coach of one program for eight games. Jon was an assistant during the 1996 and 2000 games for YSU.

Plenty of Senior Leadership
    The Penguins have 27 seniors on the roster. It is believed to be the most seniors for one squad in school history. The previous high was 24 in 1999. Of YSU’s seniors, 16 are on offense, 10 are on defense and one is a specialist. One more note on the seniors, of that group, 17 are taking part in their fifth season with a collegiate program - 14 of which have been at YSU that long.

I-A Transfers Big Part Of YSU
    The Penguins have 14 former Division I-A players on the roster.
    Those are tailback Monquantae Gibson (Kentucky), fullback Regis Edgerson (South Carolina), cornerback Tyler Griffin (Eastern Michigan), safety Vince Gliatta (Penn State), wide receiver Tariq Goode (Toledo), tight end Louis Irizarry (Ohio State), nose tackle Greg Jacobs (Vanderbilt), nose tackle Bobby Lykes-Knight (Bowling Green), cornerback Antaun Rose (West Virginia), tailback Marcus Mason (Illinois), defensive end Brian Mellott (Ohio), defensive tackle Maurice Smith-Davis (Michigan State), defensive tackle Nhemie Theodore (Minnesota) and receiver Miles Williams (Michigan State).
    Of these 14, 13 have played, however just five have started this year (Mason, Gibson, Irizarry, Lykes-Knight and Jacobs).

Got Sons? YSU Has Plenty
    The Penguins have their share of players who have a last name that ends in son. Overall, there are 11 players on the roster whose last name ends in son. Most notable, the Penguins top tackler (Marty Hutchinson), top rusher (Marcus Mason) and top receiver (T.J. Peterson) all end in son.

Wright On Good Works Team
    Senior linebacker Jeremiah Wright was one of four Division I-AA players named to the 2006 AFCA Good Works Team, which honors student-athletes for work done throughout the community. However, three days after his selection Wright suffered a knee injury in the first quarter at Penn State and has not played since.

Numbers of Note
• Turnover Margin: Since 1996, the Penguins are 75-12 when they win or tie in the turnover margin. When committing more turnovers, YSU is just 11-30.
Since 1990 YSU is:
• 116-14-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points in a game.
• 88-6 when rushing for 200-plus yards.
• 102-10 when scoring 28-or-more points.
• 56-5-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing in a game.
• 127-7 when leading entering the fourth.

Point-Scoring Streaks
• YSU has won its last 39 games when scoring more than 30 points. The last loss came at Central Florida (44-32 in 1998).
• YSU has won its last 33 games when scoring more than 40 points. The last loss came to James Madison (52-49 in 1992).
• When scoring at least 50 points, the Penguins are a perfect 20-0. YSU is 18-2 in games following a 50-point contest.
• When scoring 21-plus points under Coach Jon Heacock YSU is 37-5. The Penguins are 1-21 when they fail to score 21 points.

Next Week...Southern Illinois
    The Penguins play their final home game of the season on Nov. 4 against Southern Illinois. YSU has dropped three straight games to the Salukis dating back to 2002.